Barham Testifies at Legislative Task Force Hearing

May 9, 2012 — Michelle Felber

University Committee chair Brad Barham testified this morning at the Special Task Force on UW Restructuring and Operational Flexibilities. Barham was one of four UW System faculty members to address the committee. The meeting was recorded by WisconsinEye, and video is available here. Barham begins his remarks at 1:21:30 of the first recording. He offered four observations:

  • Shared governance is essential to the University of Wisconsin.
  • The Wisconsin Idea is in jeopardy due to declining state support.
  • The higher education social compact between the citizens of Wisconsin and public and private institutions is eroding.
  • Flexibilities can help reduce the burden on the state and/or students and their families, but they are not a replacement for improved state support.

Barham said that “thousands of UW-Madison faculty, staff, and students are involved in efforts to do right by the citizens of Wisconsin and innovate in this historic moment. I encourage you to recognize and honor that effort like you would a firefighter or others who serve our communities. Most of us are doing it on top of our regular duties and not getting one penny more for our efforts except the hope that somehow it will help to improve the prospects for delivering on the Wisconsin Idea and enhance the vitality of the institution we bleed for.”

After hearing testimony from students, faculty, and staff, the task force discussed institutional advisory and governing boards. UW-Oshkosh Chancellor Rick Wells, a task force member, provided recommendations from UW System chancellors. The chancellors met in late March and offered strong support for:

  • A structure that allows individual chancellors to create or strengthen institution-level advisory boards, with the Board of Regents retaining governing authority for the UW-System;
  • An option for these institutional-level advisory boards to include one or two Regent members, most likely to be identified by Board leadership; and
  • The implementation of a system-wide advisory council to enhance communication and relationships among members of the Board of Regents and UW System constituencies.

The task force recommended the first two items.

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UW-Madison Faculty and Staff to Testify at Legislative Task Force Meeting

May 4, 2012 — Michelle Felber

The Special Task Force on UW Restructuring and Operational Flexibilities will meet Wednesday, May 9 to hear from faculty, staff, and students from UW System two-year, comprehensive, and doctoral campuses. The meeting will be held from 9 am to 4:30 pm in Room 412 East of the State Capitol, with faculty scheduled to speak between 9:45 and 10:25 am.

UW-Madison will be represented by professor Brad Barham, chair of the University Committee; Heather Daniels, chair of the Academic Staff Executive Committee; Olivia Wick-Bander, Associated Students of Madison and United Council of UW Students member; and Mary Czynszak-Lyne, University Services program assistant. A full list of those testifying is here.

The task force will use its time in the afternoon to discuss and possibly offer recommendations on the following subjects:

The task force also requested Legislative Council provide information on what statutory changes would be necessary to create a private foundation that could offer retention payments to chancellors from UW System. Legislative Council found that creation of such a foundation would likely be in violation of state statutes. The statutes would have to be amended by the legislature in order to allow such retention payments. The full memo is here.

The task force is scheduled to conclude its work on June 6, but may schedule more meetings if necessary.

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The Importance of Competitive Compensation

May 1, 2012 — Jack O'Meara

At its core, a great university is successful because of people. Educators who inspire and challenge their students. Researchers doing cutting-edge projects that attract outside funding and drive our state’s economy. Academics committed to improving the lives of the people in our state.

Year after year, we get news that experts across the country and around the world consider UW-Madison a great university. For example, UW-Madison has perennially ranked among the top 20 universities in the world based on the Academic Ranking of World Universities. UW-Madison consistently ranks among the top three U.S. institutions as far as research money brought in and regularly places in the top ten of all institutions for doctorates conferred.

Some experts have said that an institution of worldwide caliber like UW-Madison really should not exist in a state like Wisconsin. We are not a large state in terms of population and we’re not particularly wealthy. In other words, UW-Madison’s status as an elite institution should not be taken for granted. We could easily slip from this lofty position.

salary chart

UW-Madison Faculty Salaries: Falling Further and Further Behind In the past decade, UW-Madison faculty salaries have fallen, on average, 1% per year further behind the median average of peer institutions. UW-Madison now lies at the bottom of its peer group. Salaries for full and assistant professors fall 15.6% and 6%, respectively, below salaries at counterpart institutions. An overall pay increase of 13% is needed just to get us to the median of our peers.

The problem has been exacerbated by actions from the state. Furloughs and increased retirement and health care costs have had a big impact on take-home pay for faculty and academic staff, as they have for other state employees.

UW-Madison: Taking Proactive Internal Actions to Remain Competitive Despite the lack of state pay plans, UW-Madison has refused to stand pat in the face of stiff competition. In order to generate more revenue for salaries, the university has reallocated and redistributed funds from existing programs and not filled many positions vacated through departures and retirements. Unfortunately, these actions force us to cannibalize ourselves. The state-funded High Demand and Retention Fund has helped us fight off specific outside job offers, although those funds have now been eliminated from the state budget.

Futher action is being initiated. Chancellor Ward has created a Chancellor’s Educational Initiative to develop savings to be reinvested in our work force. The Huron Group project is finding additional savings. And more funding for salaries through philanthropy is also being pursued.

More Support and Flexibility Desperately Needed From the State The UW-Madison faculty implore state policymakers to recognize UW-Madison’s dire situation. We are truly at a breaking point. This great institution is seriously at risk.

The faculty recognize that the state is facing serious economic challenges and a major new infusion of state resources should not to be expected at this time. But as the economy improves and more revenue is generated, we would hope that UW-Madison and the UW System will again become a priority for the state.

In the meantime, the faculty ask that the state provide UW-Madison and other UW universities with more flexibility over tuition and enrollment policies. This will allow us to generate more revenue while ensuring that we maintain the access and affordability that the people of Wisconsin have come to expect. Ultimately, this will help ensure the continued success of UW-Madison and its fellow UW institutions.

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Gubernatorial Recall Election

April 25, 2012 — Michelle Felber

Wisconsin voters will have the opportunity to recall Republican Governor Scott Walker on Tuesday, June 5. A Democratic opponent will be chosen in a primary election on Tuesday, May 8. Four candidates are running on the Democratic ticket — Milwaukee mayor Tom Barrett, who ran against Walker in 2010; former Dane County Executive Kathleen Falk; Secretary of State Doug La Follette; and State Senator Kathleen Vinehout.

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, WTMJ-TV, Wisconsin Public Radio, and Wisconsin Public Television are co-hosting a candidate debate on Friday, May 4. The debate will air at 7 pm on public television and radio stations throughout Wisconsin. Livestream coverage of the debate will also be available on jsonline.com.

More information about voter registration and polling place locations is available here. Photo identification requirements for voting are not being enforced while the Wisconsin Department of Justice appeals two separate court rulings that suspended enforcement of the new law.

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UW-Madison State Relations Website

April 24, 2012 — Michelle Felber

uwlogo_web_sm_ctrWhile PROFS is the legislative advocacy arm of the Faculty Senate and represents the interests of the faculty, the university is represented by UW-Madison’s Office of State Relations. Don Nelson, director of the office, recently announced an updated state relations blog. Most recently, the blog listed the names of nearly twenty legislators who are either retiring or running for other office, thus vacating their current seats.

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The Great Cost Shift

April 20, 2012 — Michelle Felber

thegreatcostshift_highereducationcuts_Demos-1Demos, a non-partisan research and policy organization, has published The Great Cost Shift, a report that shows how state disinvestment in higher education has undermined the stability of the middle class. The study found that cuts to public higher education over the past twenty years have resulted in a dramatic shift in cost to students and their families.

Among the findings:

  • Young adults today are much more ethnically and racially diverse and more likely to enroll in college than their counterparts in the 1990’s.
  • Public institutions accounted for the majority of growth (65.6 percent) among undergraduate students since 1990.
  • Funding for public higher education fell by 26 percent over the past 20 years, resulting in a 116 percent increase in tuition (4-year institutions). Tuition rose by 71 percent at 2-year institutions. At the same time, median household income rose only 2.1 percent.
  • Recovery in higher education funding has increased in every economic downturn since 1979.
  • More students are using federal and private loans to pay for higher education. Student debt has increased by a factor of 4.5 since 1999.

Demos was founded in 2000 and focuses its work on three areas — economic stability for all, a robust democracy with high levels of participation, and a strong public sector that works for the common good.

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Regents Discuss Budget Priorities and Proposed Flexibilties

April 16, 2012 — Michelle Felber

uw system logoThe University of Wisconsin-Superior hosted the April meeting of the Board of Regents last Thursday and Friday. Michael Morgan, UW System Senior Vice President for Administration and Fiscal Affairs, discussed UW System’s 2013-15 budget priorities. His PowerPoint presentation is here.

Morgan told the regents that the budget priorities are rooted in the Growth Agenda for Wisconsin, and the state should view its support of UW System as an investment, not an expenditure. The Growth Agenda intends to help the state meet its goal of more graduates, while creating jobs and building stronger communities. The regents must complete its 2013-15 budget request by August and submit it to the Department of Administration for the governor’s consideration in September.

David Miller, UW System Associate Vice President addressed a joint meeting of the Business, Audit and Finance and Capital Planning and Budget committees. He shared the PowerPoint presentation that he delivered to the Special Task Force on UW Restructuring and Operational Flexibilities earlier in the week. At that meeting, Miller said that UW System is one of the most highly-regulated systems in the country, resulting in many inefficiencies in building and procurement. He recommended that UW System be given the authority to plan and design capital projects, while the state retains its authority over bidding, contracting, and construction.

Regent Michael Falbo also provided an update on work of the task force. Falbo chairs the committee, which includes fellow Regents Mark Bradley and Tim Higgins. Falbo told the regents that many task force members were disappointed by the lack of details offered the Department of Administration in response to UW System’s recommendations for greater flexibility in procurement and capital projects. Falbo also reported that the task force is only just beginning its discussion of external boards and their role and will revisit the topic at its next meeting on May 9.

In other news, UW System President Reilly told the regents that Governor Scott Walker appointed three new regents — John Behling of Altoona and Regina Millner of Madison were appointed to seven-year terms, and UW-Parkside student Tracy Hribar of Franksville was appointed to a two-year term as a non-traditional student regent.

Behling, an Eau Claire attorney, previously worked for Governor Tommy Thompson. A graduate of UW-River Falls and UW-Madison’s law school, he specializes in regulatory work for mining and other heavy industries. He also serves on the Globe University Oversight Committee.

Millner is also a graduate of the University of Wisconsin Law School. She owns RMM Enterprises, a firm that specializes in complex real estate projects. She currently serves on the UW Athletic Board and is past board chair of  the Wisconsin Alumni Association.

Hribar is business manager for the James Hribar Trucking Company in Franksville.

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Legislative Task Force on UW Restructuring to Meet Wednesday

April 10, 2012 — Michelle Felber

The Special Task Force on UW Restructuring and Operational Flexibilities will meet Wednesday, April 11 The meeting will be held from 9 am to 12:30 pm in Room 412 East of the State Capitol.

The meeting will focus on three areas — the capital budget and planning process; procurement; and institutional governing and advisory boards. Representatives from the University of Wisconsin System and the Wisconsin Department of Administration will address the committee. The task force will also consider the following questions:

  • Should all institutions be required to have institutional boards?
  • What governing authorities should be granted to institutional boards?
  • How would the membership of the institutional boards be determined?

The following materials are included as background information:

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UW-Madison Research Expenditures Rank Third in Nation

April 6, 2012 — Michelle Felber

nsf1The University of Wisconsin-Madison continues to rank third in the nation among research institutions, according to statistics from the National Science Foundation. The university spent $1.03 billion on research  in 2010, behind Johns Hopkins University ($2 billion) and the University of Michigan ($1.18 billion). Spending increased by about $15 million over 2009.

Research spending was broken down into six categories — federal government, state and local government, business, non-profit organizations, institution funds, and other. Slightly more than half ($545 million) of UW-Madison’s research funds come from federal sources. The university ranked last among the top ten research institutions in terms of business research funding ($12 million).

According to Brad Barham, chair of the PROFS Board of Directors, research funding plays a critical role in the overall funding of UW-Madison, but cannot replace declining state support. “Continued success in attracting research funding requires a sustained commitment from the state to UW-Madison and its research enterprise.”

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PROFS WRS Forum

March 30, 2012 — Michelle Felber

Video from the PROFS forum on the Wisconsin Retirement System is now available on WisconsinEye. The forum featured three panelists — emerita professor Karen Holden; attorney Keith Johnson (Reinhart Boerner Van Duren, s.c.), former legal counsel to the State of Wisconsin Investment Board (SWIB); and David Stella, former secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Employee Trust Funds.

Many thanks to the panelists for sharing their expertise and offering their invaluable insight on the Wisconsin Retirement System.

Emerita Professor Karen Holden, Public Affairs and Consumer Science. Professor Holden’s research focuses on the effects of social security and pension policy on economic status after retirement.
Attorney Keith Johnson, Reinhart Boerner Van Duren, s.c. Mr. Johnson chairs the Institutional Investor Services Group. Before joining Reinhart, Mr. Johnson served for 21 years as legal counsel to the State of Wisconsin Investment Board (SWIB), the ninth largest public pension fund in the United States, including over six years as chief legal officer.
David Stella, former secretary, Wisconsin Department of Employee Trust Funds. Mr. Stella retired from ETF in January after 23 years at the agency, serving as secretary from 2007 until retirement.
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